The Register won second place in the same category for its coverage of the trial of triple murderer Joshua Komisarjevsky, which featured daily live tweeting from the courtroom, instant SMS alerts of the verdict and live video of reaction from defense attorneys, prosecutors and the victims’ family.

The Register won first place in the Online In-Depth Reporting category for the “New Haven Homicides Report,” a blog created by William Kaempffer and Chris March that maps every murder that happens in the city, profiles the victims and tracks updates on when arrests are made and court appearances are scheduled.

The Register’s year-long coverage of racial profiling allegations against the East Haven Police Department, led by Mark Zaretsky and Susan Misur, also took home a first place award, for Best General Reporting Series, newspapers over 50,000 circulation.

Mara Lavitt won first place for Best News Photo in the over 50,000 circulation category.

Register Citizen sports writer Kevin Roberts won first place for Online Sports Feature, while Editor Rick Thomason was honored with a first place business writing award for a piece on manufacturing in Torrington and several second and third place awards for editorials and column writing.

Jonetta Badillo

Middletown Press reporter Jonetta Badillo won first place in the under 18,000 circulation daily newspaper category for Best General Reporting Series for her coverage of the fate of the Powder Ridge ski area.

JRC weekly newspapers won 18 awards, including 5 – all by Jimmy Zanor for sports writing – at the Shoreline Times.

At Housatonic Publications in New Milford, the Litchfield County Times took home 6 awards, the Housatonic Times, 4, and Passport magazine, 3.

They included first place awards by Jack Coraggiofor Best Sports Feature and Best Business Reporting. Kathryn Boughton and Alice Tessier won first place honors for column writing.

3 Responses to “Journal Register staff win 65 Connecticut SPJ awards”

Why doesn’t any media in the state cover this? 84 families, that’s the people we find and who are willing not to be silent, someone has to stop the abject destruction of children in this state:http://c.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/speaking-family/2013/may/20/ct-judicial-branch-vendors-operated-court-employee
AFCC has the judiciary franchised with a marketing plan. Lawyers, judges, and mental health workers collude to make the most money possible. Children and litigants are chips. Good parents have been deprived of even phone calls to children two years, six years, in my case nine months. I did nothing wrong except point out the illegal and unconstitutional acts. The system just did more. We have a serious problem that no one even writes about or covers because no one will go in front of political fire.

Please read this link. At least 84 families are currently harmed and children placed with their abusers. This is a story that no one local will carry because ct is small and many people are making money from this as well as steering grants. This is Pulitzer Prize journalism. No one does this real news anymore because news is bought and paid for. So you want to uncover the reasons why 9 Dcf kids are raped in one foster home? How kent connecticut and st. sngus home gor hirls had a 100% removal rate of infant by dcf under predictive neglect? You want to understand and inform how children are trafficked right in front of us read that story link. It will give you an over view. Bad things, hundreds of millions of dollars, tax free payoffs- you name it its here. Family court and Dcf – especially the mental health providers who give paid testimony to put kids where it’s financially advantageous or sexually available. No one covers this. It’s Sandusky on a small scale. Susan

Matt DeRienzo is group editor of Digital First Media's publications in Connecticut, including the New Haven Register, Middletown Press, The Register Citizen of Torrington and non-daily publications including Connecticut Magazine, the Litchfield County Times and West Hartford News. Contact him at mderienzo@21st-centurymedia.com.